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\n\t\t\tFourth-year forward Jabari Smith Jr. raised some eyebrows when he said the Rockets were \u201cobviously the better team\u201d ahead of Wednesday\u2019s Game 5 against the Lakers, but he backed up the statement by helping his team stave off elimination again, per Matt Young of The Houston Chronicle.
\n\u201cIt\u2019s just a mindset to have,\u201d said Smith, who had a team-high 22 points, seven rebounds and two blocks while playing solid defense. \u201cI don\u2019t care who we play, I don\u2019t care what team I\u2019m on. When we were winning 22 games (his rookie season), I would probably have said we were the better team every night. I mean, people are gonna take it how they want to take it, but I don\u2019t care. Whoever I\u2019m with on the court. I\u2019m gonna think that my team is better than the other team.\u201d
\nThe Rockets lost the first three games of the series, including blown lead late in Game 3. But they now have a chance to even the series at three games apiece on Friday when they return to Houston.
\nSmith only averaged 20.4 minutes per game in last year\u2019s playoffs, Young notes, but he\u2019s at 42.0 MPG through five games in 2026. The former third overall pick has averaged 19.2 PPG, 7.8 RPG and 1.2 SPG in the series, which he\u2019s hoping to extend further on Friday night.
\n\u201cYou can\u2019t just say it and then come out and tuck your tail,\u201d Smith said of his comment. \u201cYou\u2019ve got to get out there fighting and do the things that it takes to win. So, I\u2019m gonna stand on that statement, and we\u2019ve just got to keep proving it.\u201d
\nWe have more from Houston:<\/p>\n
Late-game miscues from Smith and Reed Sheppard contributed to the Rockets\u2019 Game 3 collapse, but Sheppard was more composed with the Lakers attempting another comeback on Wednesday, as Varun Shankar writes for The Houston Chronicle. The second-year guard made some key plays down the stretch, scoring four straight points after the Lakers went on a 11-1 run to get the game within three (Twitter video link). \u201cWe didn\u2019t want to let that happen again,\u201d said Sheppard, who played through a cold.
\nNo matter what happens the rest of the series, young players like Smith, Sheppard, Alperen Sengun, Amen Thompson and Tari Eason have shown significant growth over the past two games, according to William Guillory of The Athletic. The Rockets have held L.A. below 100 points each of the past two contests. \u201cBig-time performances by everybody across the board,\u201d head coach Ime Udoka said Wednesday. \u201cYou start this really young lineup, and they are somewhat battle-tested now. (We needed to) show growth in certain moments and progress in certain moments. Obviously, in a game situation when you turn the ball over twice and foul a shooter, you want to show growth, and I think we did that tonight.\u201d
\nESPN\u2019s Shams Charania reported on Thursday morning that Kevin Durant (left ankle sprain) will remain sidelined for Game 6. He\u2019s officially listed as doubtful, Guillory tweets, which suggests he\u2019s unlikely to play.<\/p>\n